1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for securing a unit component such as a meter unit for a motor vehicle onto a panel such as an instrument panel by using tightening force of a connecting bolt.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 11 is a conventional securing structure for a unit component for mounting and connector-connecting a meter unit (unit component) 84 to an instrument panel for a motor vehicle.
A pair of movable connectors 82 are installed inside a meter unit mounting portion 81 of an instrument panel 80. Outside the meter unit mounting portion 81, upper and lower total four brackets 83 for securing the meter unit 84 are protruded. The meter unit 84 is provided with a pair of fixed connectors 85 corresponding to the movable connectors 82 and four connecting bracket 86 corresponding to the brackets 83.
The meter unit 84 is inserted into the meter unit mounting portion 81 and secured there by screwing a bolt of each of the brackets 86 and 83. By rotating the bolts 88 on the side of the fixed connectors 85, the movable connectors 82 are disconnected from the instrument panel 80 and connected to the fixed connectors 85.
FIG. 12 shows a partially detailed plan view of the fitting state of the movable connector and fixed connector. Such a configuration is proposed in JP-A-8-22491.
A connector portion 35 of a movable connector 90 is movably held in a frame 33, elastic arms 36 extending in an axial direction of the frame 33 are engaged with panel holes 91, and elastic arms 37 extending in a radial direction of the frame 33 is brought into elastic contact with a panel portion 25 of the instrument panel 94. The movable connector 90 is provisionally engaged with the panel portions 25 by a protrusions 38 of the elastic arms 36, and provisionally engaged with the fixed connector 92 by protrusions 39 on the side of a nut 30.
The meter unit 93 is secured to the instrument panel 94 by the screw means such as bolts 32 so that the tip of a bolt 28 for connector connection of the fixed connector 92 has gone to the nut 30 of the movable connector 90. In this state, by rotating the bolt 28, the bolt 28 is screwed to the nut 30 so that the movable connector 90 is attracted and secured to the fixed connector 92.
However, each of the conventional securing structures described above requires plural (e.g. four) bolts 87, 32 for securing the meter unit 84, 93 to the instrument panel 8 and requires the bolt 88, 28 for coupling the connectors to each other. Thus, the conventional structures require many man-hours of bolt tightening and increases component cost for numerous bolts and nuts.